INCLINE VILLAGE, NEV. – For its 25th year, Philanthropic Educational Organization (P.E.O.) Chapter AC is hosting Tastes of Incline at the stunning Chateau at Incline Village on August 27 to support women’s education with harmonious wine and mouthwatering delicacies from 17 local restaurants. 

Founded in 1869, the P.E.O. Sisterhood was created by seven female Iowa Wesleyan College students who shared a friendship and an enthusiasm for educational opportunities for women. In 1927, Cottey College was gifted to the Sisterhood by founder Virginia Alice Cottey Stockard. To this day, the college, located in Nevada, Missouri, is the only nonsectarian college in the United States that is solely owned and supported by women. 

Fast forward to the present day, and P.E.O. is now a thriving international nonprofit organization, providing not just a fellowship between women, but a means of support through grants, loans, awards and scholarships with chapters in all 50 states and Canada. 

P.E.O. International also allows each chapter to establish a foundation account. Donations to Chapter AC’s foundation account are tax deductible, and those funds are used to provide additional funds to their existing scholarship recipients. If more funds are needed, recipients can request additional funding.

“It’s a sisterhood unlike anything I’ve ever been in,” said Patricia Walker, P.E.O. Chapter AC’s Tastes of Incline Chair. 

Walker, together with Donna Nielson, current Chapter AC President, Julie Mater, Vice President, and 31 other members, strive to maintain funds for women locally.

Circumstances vary for how each member came to join P.E.O. For Mater, she grew up in a P.E.O. household where her great grandmother, grandmother and mother were all members. 

“My best friend and I were initiated in May 1980,” said Mater.

Nielsen found P.E.O. three years ago and fell in love. 

“I loved the premise of it,” Nielson said. “Everybody was helping each other, and I really liked the idea of giving scholarships to women.”

Walker was introduced to P.E.O. from a next-door neighbor on their daily walks around the neighborhood. Now, she has made Incline Village’s Chapter AC her third chapter. 

They all have one thing in common: “We really want to give back, and we want to give back to young women, and make sure they have a good shot at their lives,” Walker said. 

Paola Herrera is among those young women. As a P.E.O. scholarship recipient, Herrera, 18, originally had her sights set on community college due to her family’s financial situation but applied to Middlebury College in Vermont anyway. After her acceptance into the liberal arts college, Herrera began searching for financial support to attend school. Her aspirations are to eventually work abroad in a United States embassy.  

“I interviewed for the P.E.O. scholarship and I got the grant,” said Herrera. “With that grant, I was able to pay most of the remaining cost for my tuition. Because of P.E.O., I’m attending my dream school, and I’m pursuing an education that I didn’t think I would ever pursue.”

Herrera noted how important it is for younger generations to get involved with the nonprofit because it allows for a fresh perspective. Among her highlights working with P.E.O., Herrera touched on how accepted she feels, saying she’s not expected to be anyone but herself.

“Incline Village, specifically, has a very tight knit community, so it’s nice to have an even tighter community within P.E.O.,” said Herrera. 

In 2026, Chapter AC gave $18,000 in scholarships away, including two recipients who are now able to attend nursing school. Events like Tastes of Incline make this possible. 

Chapter AC member Doris Spain first suggested Tastes of Incline 25 years ago. She had the vision for what Tastes of Incline could become and how the chapter would be able to change the lives of young women who have now been supported over the last two and a half decades. In its first year, the event raised around $1000. Their current goal is to raise around $30,000. 

17 restaurants will be participating in Tastes of Incline this year, including A Catered Affair, Alibi Ale Works, Azzara’s, Big Water Grille, Bite, Crosby’s Kitchen and Cocktails, Crystal Bay Steak and Lobster House, Happy Tiers Cafe, Jason’s Beachside Grille, La Fondue, Soule Domain, Sunshine Deli & Catering, Susie Scoops Ice Cream, The Grille at the Chateau, Tunnel Creek Cafe, Brimms Catering and Sierra Senior Services. 

In addition to the vast selection of delicious fares, a restaurant raffle will take place with chances to win restaurant gift cards, along with a silent auction offering more than 50 items including Reno-Aces tickets, Tahoe Knight Monsters tickets, stays at Thunderbird Lodge, Shakespeare Festival tickets, and more. 

Folks will also have a chance to bid on auction baskets filled with an assortment of goodies, including some tasty, high-quality wine, coffee and tea. 

Tastes of Incline kicks off from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, August 27. Pre-sale tickets are available in person at The Potlatch for $80. Tickets are also available at the door for $90. Availability is limited to around 300 attendees and frequently sells out. 

For those interested in learning more about P.E.O., International, scholarships, loans or grants, visit https://www.peointernational.org/. 

The Chateau at Incline Village is located at 955 Fairway Blvd in Incline Village, Nev.